Sulochana Thapar Foundation is a non-profit social impact organization based in Pune. The objective of the foundation is to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged communities by contributing to development issues through strategic interventions and multi-sector partnerships. The foundation has on-going projects in several States of India on thematic areas of health and democratic governance. The foundation is looking for a suitable person to be part of its Urban Innovation Program team. Under its democratic governance portfolio, the foundation works with small and medium urban local governments to create models of inclusive governance.

While the near-term focus of the Urban Innovation Program is to strengthen capacities of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for delivery of quality public services, the long-term vision is to economically empower ULBs, harness their unique strengths to build a brand identity for them that is capable of independently attracting investments for inclusive and sustainable growth.

This is achieved through a Governance Fellowship program implemented by the foundation. The two-year fellowship program allows young professionals to engage themselves in live urban governance reform initiatives. Fellows are placed with ULBs, contributing through research-based and participatory action projects aimed at improving public service delivery, fiscal governance and enhanced citizen participation. Reforms like process mapping of municipal services, mapping of municipal infrastructure, urban governance index, GIS of cities, capacity building through training workshops, budget analysis and developing medium term fiscal frameworks are undertaken during the course of the fellowship.

Eligibility Criteria

Master’s degree in Social science / Humanities or allied fields (Economics, Public Policy, Governance, Development Studies, Social Work, Urban Planning).

Experience of minimum seven years in the development sector, of which at least four years in urban development, urban planning, public policy, governance, government relations or Panchyati Raj.

Experience of managing large-scale projects and leading teams.

Excellent writing and communication skills in English and Hindi. Proficiency in other regional languages will be an added asset.

Good research /analytical skills; and strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Urban Innovation Program, including but not limited to:

Developing strategic plans that position STF as a lead development partner.

Achieving high quality outputs that adheres to cost, time and sustainability norms.

Ensuring timely achievements of outcomes that is scalable and replicable.

Building and implementing evidence based advocacy with Government to adopt model interventions.

Design and operationalize the Urban Innovation Program for State and local governments that may include projects such as:

Developing state / region-wide urban governance index for State / local governments.

Developing research papers and policy briefs on inclusive urban governance.

Strengthen the Governance Fellowship program by attracting high quality young professionals, building their capacities through regular capacity building programs, mentoring and monitoring.

Provide leadership in positioning Sulochana Thapar Governance Fellowship program as top of the mind recall and one of the preferred fellowship programs among young and aspirant professionals. This includes, but is not limited to participating in appropriate forums, writing blogs, sharing good practices, etc.

Liaison and maintain relations with elected representatives and staff of state / local governments for effective and efficient implementation of the program.

Develop and manage budget for the program to ensure financial effectiveness.

Provide key insights and learnings through evidence-based reporting systems to the management and other key stakeholders. Provide strategic and operational leadership in designing and implementing studies in consultation with the Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, to further efficiency of the urban governance model.

Keep abreast with new ideas, policies and strategies in the sector.

Work on any other tasks in the domain assigned by the COO / CEO.

Interested candidates having prescribed qualifications may submit their applications with updated CV to careers@sulochanathapar.org latest by April 20, 2019 with the subject line ‘Application for the Post of Program Manager – Governance & Advocacy’.

PROJECT OFFICER – GOVERNANCE & ADVOCACY

Role

Project Officer – Governance & Advocacy

Position

Junior / Mid-Management

Reporting to

Program Manager – Governance & Advocacy

Location

Assam, Goa

Operation

Pan-India

Travel

Extensive travel across project areas

Salary

Commensurate with experience and industry standards

Sulochana Thapar Foundation promotes democratic governance fortified with citizen participation, innovative processes and pioneering urban service delivery. The foundation believes that rapid urbanization has brought with it challenges that need focused attention. By improving urban service delivery in small towns and promoting informed participation by citizens, local leaders and policy makers, a systemic transformation can be achieved. This will generate the required value additions for improved quality of life in these towns.

The foundation has collaborated with different Municipal Councils to implement key governance reforms viz. fiscal management, human resource management, community engagement, process and systems enhancement, and communications strategy among others. The Project Officer- Governance & Advocacy is a full-time position responsible for the day-to-day operations of governance programs under direct supervision of the Program Manager – Governance & Advocacy.

Eligibility Criteria

Master’s degree in Social Science / Humanities or allied fields (Economics, Public Policy, Governance, Development Studies, Social Work, Urban Planning).

Experience of minimum one to two years in the development sector, preferably in urban development, urban planning, public policy, governance, government relations or Panchyati Raj.

Excellent writing and communication skills in English and Hindi. Proficiency in regional languages will be an added asset.

Good research /analytical skills; and strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.

Providing technical support to Governance Fellows posted in local governments for timely achievement of set deliverables.

Research, data collection, data analysis and documentation for the ongoing and planned projects in the governance domain.

Developing case studies on urban governance based on UIP interventions in project locations.

Planning and implementing the Citizen Engagement Program across varied locations in the country by engaging with diverse stakeholders viz. citizens, educational institutes, civil society organizations, local and state governments among others.

Undertaking any other assignments given by the Program Manager – Governance & Advocacy.

Keeping abreast of new concepts, schemes and programs in the field of urban governance.

Interested candidates having prescribed qualifications may submit their applications with updated CV to careers@sulochanathapar.org latest by April 20, 2019 with the subject line ‘Application for the Post of Project Officer – Governance and Advocacy.’

Fellowships

Title : Nutrition Fellow – Saksham Project

Reports to : Senior Program Manager/District Project Manager

Location : Kanker and Kondagaon districts, Chhattisgarh

Organization : Sulochana Thapar Foundation

Project Name : Saksham

Technical Area : Maternal Child Health & Nutrition

About the Organization:

Sulochana Thapar Foundation (formerly Avantha Foundation) is a not-for-profit organization working on child nutrition and urban governance issues. In 2011, the Foundation supported a nation-wide nutrition survey (the HUNGaMA survey) that provided contemporary data on the status of maternal and child nutrition in 100 rural districts, covering nearly 20% of Indian children. Since then, the Foundation has been committed to implementing high-quality, evidence-informed and result-driven projects that promoted better nutrition for pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children in remote villages. Over the past seven years, the Foundation’s projects covered more than 75,000 tribal children and their families in nearly 2,700 high-burden villages across four States.

About the Project:

The Saksham project seeks to improve coverage of Maternal Infant Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) indicators by promoting nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions for pregnant women and children below 3 years of age. The project is implemented in Kanker and Kondagaon districts of Chhattisgarh.

About Saksham Nutrition Fellowship:

This is a two-year full time Fellowship program. During the Fellowship period, the candidate will be assigned to a tribal location in Kanker or Kondagaon district in Chhattisgarh where the project is implemented to help facilitate improved Maternal Infant Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) outcomes at grassroots.

The Fellow will receive induction training upon joining and thereafter will attend half yearly review and training programs as conducted by the project. S/he will regularly interact with grassroots communities, frontline workers and local stakeholders such as anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, ANM, anganwadi supervisors, CDPOs, and local community groups. S/he will also interact with members of Gram Panchayats for improving converged nutrition actions through better utilization of nutrition-related services and schemes. The geographic area assigned to a Fellow will cover approximately 25 to 30 villages. The broad scope of learning activities during the Fellowship and responsibilities of Fellows are as follows:

Co-ordination:

Overall co-ordination in the assigned project area by developing a common understanding, sharing progress, identifying grassroots issues, and through supporting ICDS functionaries in addressing such issues.

Meetings with anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, ANM, and members of SHGs and Gram Panchayats.

Serve as a catalyst in bringing local stakeholders together around the issue of maternal child health and nutrition.

Identify, establish rapport and collaborate with local partners working on issues of health and nutrition.

Active participation in all locally held government programs and events focusing on MCHN.

Handholding and Supportive Supervision:

Handholding support to anganwadi workers and ASHA workers at field level .

Improving skills of frontline workers in growth monitoring of children, micro-planning for priority home visits, and for providing need-based Behaviour Change Communication and counseling support to mothers and care givers.

Community Engagement

Supporting anganwadi workers in conducting mothers’ meetings and VHSNDs and Community based events (CBE).

Sensitizing members of local Self-Help Groups and Gram Panchayats on Maternal Child Nutrition, and on different schemes by the government on health, nutrition and livelihood support.

Promoting homestead gardens in each household to improve access to nutritional foods, and demonstration of different recipes using low-cost high-nutrition local food items.

Documentation and Reporting:

Documenting interesting case stories from the field.

Conducting short studies (action-research) under the guidance of District Project Manager.

Collecting field information and submission of monthly MIS to District Project Manager.

Formulating anganwadi-specific development plans based on MIS data.

Submission of final Fellowship Report to Sulochana Thapar Foundation.

Any other tasks assigned by the Foundation.

Qualification:

Master’s degree in Social Sciences/Public Health/Anthropology or Nutrition. Grassroots experience in community-based health programs a definite plus. Ability to think and work independently with a flair for working with grassroots stakeholders and communities. Good analytical and research skills are strongly recommended. Willingness to travel extensively and work in remote tribal areas.

Stipend:

Rs.30,000/- per month, plus Rs.5,000/- per month as re-imbursement of local travel, communication and other incidental expenses at actuals. Eligible for group medical insurance cover of Rs.1 lakh and group accidental insurance cover as per organization’s policy.

How to Apply:

Eligible candidates may email their updated Curriculum Vitae with a personal statement not more than 500 words on “My perspective on addressing the challenge of malnutrition amongst children in India” to careers@sulochanathapar.org The CV and personal statement should be attached to the email as Word files. The subject line of the email should read: “Application for Saksham Nutrition Fellowship.” Last date of receipt of application is 15th April 2019.

Local candidates are encouraged to apply. Shortlisted candidates will be informed about personal interview by email/telephone.

GOVERNANCE FELLOWSHIP 2019-21

Sulochana Thapar Foundation

Sulochana Thapar Foundation came into existence in 2009 with the objective of improving the quality of life of communities across the country by addressing issues of national concern through pioneering development initiatives. The foundation seeks to bring about systemic changes within identified issues by supporting long term strategic interventions and by encouraging multi-sectoral partnerships. It partners with a broad range of stakeholders including government and non-government organizations as well as multilateral agencies to implement programs and create outcomes that lead to policy changes in favour of communities in need.

The foundation currently addresses the following three critical areas of need:

Improving maternal and child nutrition in tribal communities

Treatment, care and support to people living with HIV

Building capacities to improve governance in small and medium towns

Governance Program

The Foundation promotes democratic governance fortified with citizen participation, innovative processes and pioneering urban service delivery. The Foundation believes that rapid urbanization has brought with it challenges that need focused attention. By improving urban service delivery in small towns and promoting informed participation by citizens, local leaders and policy makers, a systemic transformation can be achieved. The program aids in implementation of research based, data driven and citizen centric governance reforms in collaboration with Urban Development Department of State Governments and the respective Local Governments.

The Governance Fellowship

The foundation invites applications for Governance Fellowships from young, energetic, dynamic Indian nationals who are keen to carve a career in the domain of public policy/decentralized governance and sustainable development. The fellowships are offered for a period of 2 years during which the selected fellows will be engaged full time in small towns across two States in India, directly working with local governments and partner organizations. Candidates will also get an opportunity to work on live urban innovation projects during these two years.

Locations for Governance Fellowship 2019-21

Assam

Jharkhand

Eligibility Criteria

Master’s degree in Social sciences / Public policy /Development Studies /Social work or a Post Graduate / Graduate degree in Law / Planning. Relevant work experience will be an added advantage. Candidates with degrees in other fields and with an interest to pursue a career in Public Policy / Democratic Governance are also encouraged to apply.

Willing to live and work in the towns where the Urban Innovation Project is implemented.

Fluency in English and Hindi. Knowledge of the local language of the State will be an asset.

Ability to think and work independently; good research and analytical skills.

Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.

Preferably below 30 years of age.

Scope of the Fellowship

In line with the overall objective of the Urban Governance Innovation Project, strategic importance will be placed on creating competencies amongst fellows in understanding and managing the complexities of urbanization in India. Fellowship themes will revolve around the broad areas of:

Implementation of projects identified under the Urban Innovation Project viz. baseline survey of the town for creating area profiles, formation and strengthening of ward committees, ward development plans, improved fiscal governance through data driven advocacy, human resource management and optimization of municipal authorities, developing communications strategy for local governments and comprehensive capacity strengthening of a range of stakeholders among others.

Community mobilization and decentralized planning as tools for improving developmental outcomes.

Strengthening and institutionalizing multi-stakeholder participation.

Effective convergence of schemes and projects in the context of decentralization.

Stipend

Rs.30,000/- per-month plus a limited amount for out-of-pocket expenses based on the location, and medical as well as accident insurance cover.

Selection Process

Eligible candidates should send their application in the prescribed format with a personal statement not more than 1000 words on ‘Key Challenges of Urban Local Governance in India.’

Application and the personal statement should be submitted (emailed) as a single MS Word document at careers@sulochanathapar.org latest by April 20, 2019 with the email subject line ‘Application for Governance Fellowship – 2019-21.’